Experience with PC W**ld returns? Why is it so complicated?!

Michaeljcox24

Michaeljcox24

Michaeljcox24

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West Bromwich
Anyone had any experience returning out of warranty laptops to them? My folks bought a packard bell machine literally 13 months ago and it won't switch on anymore.

Had a local shop try a full hardware reset on the board, with no luck. Machine has been looked after and is in very good condition...

Phoned them last night, apparently I have to get a vat registered company to write a letter to their out of warranty customer services stating that they have looked at it and the foregone conclusion is that it is completely knackered.

I can't take it into a store because, and I quote 'their customer services might be potentially biased and say it was the customers fault'.

And that is direct from the woman on the phone last night.

Crazy... and massively annoying!
 
If it is out of warranty, and more than 6 months since you bought it, then I believe the onus is on you to prove that there is an inherent fault with the product.

/edit - more info:

If you want to get a faulty item replaced or repaired
You have the right to get a faulty item replaced or repaired, if you're happy with this (or if it's too late to reject it). You can ask the retailer to do either, but they can normally choose to do whatever would be cheapest.

Under the Sale of Goods Act, the retailer must either repair or replace the goods 'within a reasonable time but without causing significant inconvenience'. If the seller doesn't do this, you are entitled to claim either:

reduction on the purchase price, or
your money back, minus an amount for the usage you've had of the goods (called 'recision').
If the retailer refuses to repair the goods, you may have the right to arrange for someone else to repair it, and then claim compensation from the retailer for the cost of doing this.

You have six years to make a claim for faulty goods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland you have five years.

What you need to do to prove your claim
If your claim under the Sale of Goods Act ends up in court, you may have to prove that the fault was present when you bought the item and not, for example, something that was the result of normal wear and tear.

Six months...and counting
If your claim is about a problem that arises within six months of buying the product, it's up to the retailer to prove that the goods were fit for purpose – or 'as described' – when it sold them. It is also responsible for proving that the problem was caused by you (for example, because you had an accident with the item that damaged it). Beyond six months, it's up to you to prove that the problem was the retailer's.

So you may need to prove that the fault was not down to wear and tear or damage you caused, and that the product (or a component) should have lasted longer than it did. To do this you may need an expert's report, for example from an engineer or mechanic.
Click to expand...

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rig...erstanding-the-sale-of-goods-act/your-rights/
 
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I've seen a couple of these where they appear dead but in fact the cable from the button on the right that goes to the mother board breaks you can test it by removing the strip cover above the keyboard might be some screws in the battery compartment , then pop the keyboard forward and you should see a small thin black cable that plugs in it has 2 pins, if you short it out on the motherboard with a flat screwdriver for a second it might fire up.
 
As the laptop is now out of warranty are you expecting the retailer to fix it under warranty? Confused.
 
iDroid84 said:
If it's a 12 month warranty it's a 12 month warranty regardless if if it breaks 1 minuet past the warranty period. You have to foot the bill now it's out of warranty. This is what extended warranty is for.
Click to expand...

Not if you can prove to them thats its an inheret fault with the product, as has been said a few hundred pound laptop should be expected to last more than 12 months
 
I agree with what your saying, but to quote div0:

'So you may need to prove that the fault was not down to wear and tear or damage you caused, and that the product (or a component) should have lasted longer than it did. To do this you may need an expert's report, for example from an engineer or mechanic'

I've had an independant engineer look at it, and they have quite confidently said it was an inherent hardware fault that has caused it, not my parents fault. It hasn't overheated, never been dropped, there is no cosmetic damage, and it's in generally excellent condition.

Yes, if it's out of warranty, then if it breaks, you have to foot the bill. Equally however, I would argue that if the life expectancy of the average laptop was only 12 months, nobody would ever buy one.

I might not get anywhere, but I have to try.
 
tom_e said:
Not if you can prove to them thats its an inheret fault with the product, as has been said a few hundred pound laptop should be expected to last more than 12 months
Click to expand...

The problem is with this is that people abuse the laptops like they are throw away toys. Some of them I see under 12 months has been treat like a drug addict on the streets. Seriously.
 
if it has a fault that is widespread with that model and is well documented might mean you'd get some joy with a repair, but they'd never refund the full amount even if it was in warranty.
 
This is a slightly grey area because it has gone out of warranty - a refund is less likely but you should aim for a suitable replacement and settle for a repair if that was the only thing offered.

Check online to see if others have reported a similar fault - if it is a common fault, it will strengthen your case that there was an inherent problem in the product at the time of sale, rather than the laptop shutting down because of your wear and tear.

In subjective cases like this, the liability issue is not as important as the persistence angle - if a customer is really adamant and persistent and on their case about it, the management might decide to just deal with you in the easiest way to get you out of the door and on your way - however it's important not to overstep the line or be arrogant about things.. if you speak to the manager in a respectful tone but make it appear as though you aren't going to go away until the situation is resolved, it might get you somewhere. There is a chance it wont, but it's probably worth trying.
 
Listen to what beermonster said I have seen tons of these packard bell models suffer with this problem, also be careful of the weak hinges.

The break is usually within the first 1cm of the switch as it takes a sharp bend.
 
Got same Packard Bell. Had same problem after 4 months! Turned out to be wire connecting motherboard to power button snapped in 2 places. Easy and cheap to repair. Techguys no help, kept sending it back to me saying laptop was liquid damaged! Took it to my own repairers and cost £25, which i made techguys reimburse me.
 
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iDroid84 said:
If it's a 12 month warranty it's a 12 month warranty regardless if if it breaks 1 minuet past the warranty period. You have to foot the bill now it's out of warranty. This is what extended warranty is for.
Click to expand...

There speaks someone who possibly works in retail !

Thats not the case at all, even trhough the laptop is over 12 months old the op's parents still hjave rights againt the seller under "The Sale Of Goods Act 1979"

That basically states the laptop must be free from faults and have lasted a reasonable time. If it hasn't then his parents are entitled to a repair, a replacement or perhaps a refund (or in this case now a partial refund) Ultimatly its for a court to decide what they get though.

Yes its true the parents will have to provide an engineers report because it is their responsibility to prove to purple shirts that the laptop is faulty. However one report should be more than enough.

If I were you though I'd just remind them of the SGA and see them quake in their boots. For such a high profile retailer, they don't know the LAW at all and will try any trick they have up their sleeves to shirk their responsibilities.

As for their extended warranties, they aren't worth the paper they are printed on. They never stick to what they promise, you will more often than not find they don't repair the product. Even when they do they don't do it properly.

Oh and BTW I used to work for the sister company, only we wore blue shirts.
 
The service side is having a major overhaul as we speak, they know the problem areas and are extremely determined to iron out any issues that are currently plaguing the repair side of the business.
 
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